Netflix Cast the Perfect Sabrina the Teenage Witch for Its Upcoming Adaptation

The wait to find out who will fill Melissa Joan Hart’s shoes as the new Sabrina the Teenage Witch is over. Netflix announced that former Mad Men actress Kiernan Shipka will reprise the role in the new reboot, which will be adapted from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina comic.

Unlike the beloved late ’90s series, the new take will be much, much darker. Instead of a perky young witch, this coming-of-age drama will be more along the lines of Rosemary’s Baby and TheExorcist. Netflix’s adaption will focus on how Sabrina must deal with being both a human and a witch, all while fighting the evil forces that threaten her and the human world she inhabits.

Casting Shipka in the role of the sophomore high school student who’s learning to be a sorceress came pretty easily for the producers.

“We’re all such huge fans of Kiernan’s work that when we started talking about who this new incarnation of Sabrina could be, her name was on everyone’s wish list,” executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa says. “This is a darker, more macabre version of Sabrina, and we’re incredibly excited for people to see Kiernan make this iconic character her own.”

Executive producer and Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater added: “I am thrilled that Kiernan is playing Sabrina and have no doubt that she will embody the strength, courage, and boldness that has made the character a fan favourite.”

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